Plastic wood has been described in, for example, Kirk-Othmer, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", Second Edition, Volume 22, 1970, page 381; or "Ullmanns Encyklopaedie der technischen Chemie", Fourth Edition, Volume 12, Weinheim, 1976, page 724, in which wood is treated with a non-swelling vinyl-type monomer and cured by radiation or by heat and a catalyst. Moreover, it is known that wood may be impregnated with a monomer such as methacrylate ester or a prepolymer, such as a methacrylate ester prepolymer and thereafter the methacrylate ester monomer or prepolymer is polymerized.
In comparison to the plastic wood prepared heretofore, the plastic wood prepared in accordance with the process of this invention has the advantage that it is more resistant to water and ultraviolet light.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide plastic wood having improved resistance to water. Another object of this invention is to provide plastic wood having improved resistance to ultraviolet light. A further object of this invention is to provide a process for preparing plastic wood by impregnating wood with silicon compounds to improve its resistance to water and ultraviolet light.